The warning signs are frequently used to alert pedestrians about dangerous or harmful conditions such as a wet or slippery floor. Wet surfaces are commonly marked by safety markers in restaurants, grocery stores, factories, shopping malls, hospitals and other areas where foot traffic is prevalent and spills may occur. Their purpose is generally to prevent people from coming into contact with the wet surface so as to prevent slips and falls due to the slippery surface caused by the wetness.
Floors that are wet, following a cleaning or due to a spill, pose a safety hazard for pedestrians. Such conditions may result in accidents and injuries, and give rise to law suits against the building owners and/or operators.
Typically, these warning signs include collapsible safety markers, which are foldable, plastic cones that are placed on designated areas, expendable sheet-like objects that are easy to hang, or caution tapes to protect people from entering the dangerous areas.
One of the major drawbacks of the warning signs is that they are not immediately removed once they are not needed. One example of unattended warning signs is the wet sign in hospitals, care homes and retirement homes. In many hospitals, the sings set on wet floors, remain in place for many hours after the floor is dried. This may cause issues in transportation of patients and the wheelchairs. In addition, if the signs are left for long time, they may even cause contamination in places like hospitals. Over 90% of the wet signs that are seen in public areas are on dry surfaces because typical wet floor dry within 30 to 60 minutes of displaying the sign. The attendant of the warning sign may not regularly check the sign, and very often, the sign remains in place until the next day.
Another issue with excessive use of warning signs is that it creates complicity towards its message and presence. Therefore, people may not pay enough attention to them after a while. They themselves may also become a trip hazard.
The present invention is designed to help eliminate difficulties associated with currently used warning signs.